Social Influence

conformity

a change in attitude or behaviour in response to an implied, rather than an explicit social norm.

2 types of social influence

conformity and obedience

obedience

a change in attitude or behaviour in response to a direct, or explicit, order

social norm

attitudes and behaviours that are commonly held in a particular group, and exert a powerful influence over the attitudes and behaviours of group members

social influence

any effect that another person or group has on your own attitudes and behaviours

normative influence

conformity to a group norm to gain attention and praise, and avoid exclusion and humiliation (social sanctions) from others. We are motivated to be accepted by others.

changes an individuals public attitude not private attitude. (Compliance)

informational influence

conformity to a group norm as a way of getting information ie. In uncertain situations where people are unsure of their own perceptions

changes an individuals public and private attitude by guiding the formation of their own judgement (conversion)

factors that affect normative influence

group cohesion

group size

social support

collectivist culture

factors that affect informational influence

perceived self-confidence

task difficultly

collectivist culture

determinants of obedience

general cultural norm to obey authority: awarded or trust authority figure

request to obey increasing immoral acts gradually

shift in ‘agency’/responsibility

proximity to person giving orders, distance from person getting shocked

social support reduces obedience

appearance of credibility and authority

group polarization

people outwardly agree to gain acceptance (normative) and learn information through group members (informative) leads to depersonalisation

depersonalisation

the tendency of people to categorise themselves in terms of their salient group membership.

groupthink

extreme group polarisation

Decreased mental efficiency, reality testing and moral judgement in the quest to seek group consensus.

Caused by:

high group cohesiveness

Threatening situational context (prioritise speed over accuracy)

symptoms of groupthink

increased conformity,

overestimation of the competence of the group

closemindness

Results in procedural errors that cause large-scale disasters

minority influence

Minorities encourage deeper thinking of their counter argument when consistent, changing an opinion, private conformity (conversion)- not getting advantages of conforming, must know something

Sherif social conformity Dot study

light never actually moved

people asked how far dot moved

answer converged on group norm in social context

people denied other people influenced judgement

high degree of uncertainty and little information- looking for informational influence

Asch conformity line test

1% made error on lines when alone, test easy

76% people conformed and chose wrong answer at least once

D&G: when told goal to be as accurate as possible and line removed during judgement increased conformity: group pressure and normative influence and collective group goal made group more cohesive uncertainty and informational influence

Moscovici Blue and Green slides

not ambigious

minority can only have influence if confident and consistent

Milgram shock experiment obedience

shock a confederate to dangerous levels

65% continued to 450 XXX volts, even if participant screamed and eventually stopped responding

some experimenter prods improvised- experimenter bias

coercive

obey as don’t believe shocks were real

Burger obedience- shock revisited

only 150, not fatal

no fake medical emergency

reminded could leave and debriefed

willing to shock to 150 even after confederate protest

Lightbulb model

lots of people doing it in your immediate area